Rain Reese was a 19-year-old college freshman from Lawton, Oklahoma, who dreamed of becoming a teacher. In May 2023, she took a pill she believed was Xanax. It contained fentanyl, and Rain never woke up.
Her mother, Karla Carlock, could have withdrawn from the world after losing her daughter. Instead, she began fighting to protect other families from the same heartbreak.
Karla walked the halls of the Oklahoma Capitol, shared Rain’s story with lawmakers and traveled to Washington, D.C., to support leaders working to pass the HALT Fentanyl Act. In February 2026, her advocacy led to another milestone when Oklahoma’s governor signed Rain’s Law, requiring schools to teach students in grades six through 12 about the dangers of fentanyl.
Rain never got the chance to fulfill her dream of becoming a teacher, but her story is now helping educate students across Oklahoma about the dangers of counterfeit pills.
In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, Karla shares how she turned her daughter’s death into a mission to save lives. She also opens up about the grief, stigma and self-blame she continues to navigate after losing Rain.
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- Growing Up with Grief: Emily’s Siblings Open Up
- Words of Wisdom: Surviving Grief
- Cookies, Grief, and Hope: A Mother’s Recipe for Healing After Fentanyl Loss
MEET THE GUEST
Karla Carlock
Karla Carlock is a grieving mother, military spouse, and advocate who lost her 19-year-old daughter Rain to a single counterfeit pill in 2023. Since then, she has turned her grief into a mission to protect other families and keep Rain’s legacy alive. Through Rain’s Law and her advocacy, Karla is working to bring fentanyl awareness, mental health awareness, and suicide prevention education to schools and communities.
